VEX Robotics
VEX RoboticsNov. 24, 2014
The VEX robots brought together many friends and ideas. I think that I learned about what some of the commities my group members are good at. I was a good experience because we got to learn what we were good at and we got to learn about how others think. I would have liked to see the course instead of programming without know what the course would look like. I learned that a lot of the screws could come unfastend really easily. This is one of the reasons it took a long time to make the robots. Our robot was supposed go through a maze pushing or some how getting PVC pipes to the other end of the maze. Overall, I had a lot of fun making this robot.
Amber KesapradistClass of 2018
Using VEX was kind of intimidating at first. When we got all of the materiels we needed, the first thing that I saw was the huge binder filled with information ranging from how to assemble the actual robot, to how to programm it. The robot itself was just a jumble of parts that somehow had to come together to make a functioning robot that could pick up PVC pipes. I later discovered that it was not as hard as it seemed. We all worked together, and soon enough, we had a functioning robot that could drive around (sometimes into the occasional chair) All in all, it gave me a pretty good idea of what building the actual robot could be like.
Hannah PatrignaniClass of 2018
Open House
Honestly, when I first came to the open house, I didn’t really know what I was talking about or what to expect, and I figured I would just improvise as I went along. I was surprised by the amount of people that came interested in robotics, and I found it become much easier to answer their questions and concerns as more people came and I gained experience. At the open house, we mostly aimed to expand awareness about our team and hopefully gain interest from others as well as future members. I’d say that it was a complete success, and we definitely managed to talk to a lot of people and raise interest and awareness regarding our team.
– Tiffany TaClass of 2017
Scratch Workshop
Learning Scratch from Ms. Duffin, Notre Dame’s technology, engineering, and design program head, was quite the experience. I entered the workshop, not really knowing what to expect. In fact, I thought Scratch was pretty sketch. I also wasn’t sure how dragging differently colored rectangles had anything to do with programming. As I experimented more on Scratch (using the tutorial), I saw that it had extreme relevance to programming, especially the logic aspect of it. We had some technology problems at first as one should expect from Notre Dame’s brilliant technology but I learned a lot and greatly enjoyed the workshop. I feel confident in my ability to help others on Notre Dame’s Hour of Code Day and look forward to it.
– Minh-Chau DoanClass of 2017
I had a blast learning how to use the program Scratch. Everyone played around on Scratch to figure out the basics themselves, and everyone enjoyed looking at what other people had done in the end. We all had a laugh putting together backgrounds and sprites and strange noises to form images and stories. At the end of the session, everyone put together a pirate story. Using the images that were given to us, we individually made a story or interactive game with Scratch. Although everyone was at first somewhat uneasy about learning a new form of programming, especially those of us who had no experience whatsoever, we all had a great time playing around with it. I am sure we are all more eager to learn about programming by the end of this year.
– Miyo ImaiClass of 2018
Scratch Workshop
Learning Scratch from Ms. Duffin, Notre Dame’s technology, engineering, and design program head, was quite the experience. I entered the workshop, not really knowing what to expect. In fact, I thought Scratch was pretty sketch. I also wasn’t sure how dragging differently colored rectangles had anything to do with programming. As I experimented more on Scratch (using the tutorial), I saw that it had extreme relevance to programming, especially the logic aspect of it. We had some technology problems at first as one should expect from Notre Dame’s brilliant technology but I learned a lot and greatly enjoyed the workshop. I feel confident in my ability to help others on Notre Dame’s Hour of Code Day and look forward to it.
– Minh-Chau DoanClass of 2017
I had a blast learning how to use the program Scratch. Everyone played around on Scratch to figure out the basics themselves, and everyone enjoyed looking at what other people had done in the end. We all had a laugh putting together backgrounds and sprites and strange noises to form images and stories. At the end of the session, everyone put together a pirate story. Using the images that were given to us, we individually made a story or interactive game with Scratch. Although everyone was at first somewhat uneasy about learning a new form of programming, especially those of us who had no experience whatsoever, we all had a great time playing around with it. I am sure we are all more eager to learn about programming by the end of this year.
– Miyo ImaiClass of 2018
Spotlight Week
Spotlight Week was pretty awesome this year. We had a few glitches every here and there (such as music refusing to play), but I guess that’s just bad luck. I loved hearing Mouse’s experiences with the team; I guess you could say it was Throwback Tuesday, in a way. But the only thing I can say that was more entertaining was having Mr. McDougall make Ants on a Log – or, based on how it turned out, Ants in a Swamp. I was kinda bummed that not many people came on the first four days – especially on Wednesday (Destruction Day) and Thursday – but the turnout for Friday’s Jankster Rally more than made up for it! As one of the dance leaders, I loved watching everyone come out and get their groove on; not to mention, it helped get me warmed up for some CalGames mascotting. All in all, it was a great week, and I’d like to encourage more people to come next year!
– Tamara KawaClass of 2016
I went to four out of the five events at Spotlight Week, and they were all really fun and interesting. On Tuesday, we all gathered in the chapel to hear Mouse, one of the original members of the Janksters, tell us about her experiences with the team and how those experiences have shaped her life. We heard a lot of little anecdotes, and at the end, we all took a picture with her. On Wednesday, there was a booth set up at lunch for any students who wanted to come take common household items apart. I got to take apart a Nerf gun and managed to pull the casing off of an old sander. It was really fascinating to see all of the inner workings for both. Thursday was an amusing day as we watched multiple teachers attempt to make an “Ants on a Log” snack with varying degrees of success. It was a great eye-opener into the importance of specificity when coding with robots. My favorite day of Spotlight Week was most definitely Friday. The Janksters were playing music, and pretty soon, there was a dance party in the middle of Pardini Park. It was a great way for us to bring attention to CalGames, and I know that I had a lot of fun.
– Julia HuntClass of 2018
Thoughts on the New Year
Last year, our team had 20-25 student, out of which only 6 were returning veterans. This year, we have 20 veterans (which is over 3 times as much as last year!) and about 20 rookies as well. To be completely honest, I was, and still am, nervous about having such a huge team since we’ve never really had 30+ students (forget 40+) on the team before. At the same time, I’m a little excited to see how much we can improve our team and how we’ll expand this upcoming year. Having triple the amount of veterans from last year, this year’s Build Season and everything before and after that will be a lot smoother. With a lot more Jankster experience, I, personally, feel we’ll be able to expand our opportunities and ideas to include things that weren’t possible last year–like putting googly eyes on our robot!!
–Yashna BansalClass of 2017
I am extremely excited to start this new year with so many new students! Since we have many grade levels on our leadership team, it’s awesome to see different perspectives and hear different ideas. Compared to the smallish team we had last year, this is VERY new for us, and I have a feeling that there are many good things to come. In addition, the whole last year, we rookies were the ones being taught, and now we’re going to be the teachers. As frightening as that is, I think all the veterans can agree that we have so much to teach them and can’t wait to see their knowledgable selfs by the end of this year.
–Rabab KarimjeeClass of 2017
Thoughts on the New Year
Last year, our team had 20-25 student, out of which only 6 were returning veterans. This year, we have 20 veterans (which is over 3 times as much as last year!) and about 20 rookies as well. To be completely honest, I was, and still am, nervous about having such a huge team since we’ve never really had 30+ students (forget 40+) on the team before. At the same time, I’m a little excited to see how much we can improve our team and how we’ll expand this upcoming year. Having triple the amount of veterans from last year, this year’s Build Season and everything before and after that will be a lot smoother. With a lot more Jankster experience, I, personally, feel we’ll be able to expand our opportunities and ideas to include things that weren’t possible last year–like putting googly eyes on our robot!!
Yashna BansalClass of 2017
I am extremely excited to start this new year with so many new students! Since we have many grade levels on our leadership team, it’s awesome to see different perspectives and hear different ideas. Compared to the smallish team we had last year, this is VERY new for us, and I have a feeling that there are many good things to come. In addition, the whole last year, we rookies were the ones being taught, and now we’re going to be the teachers. As frightening as that is, I think all the veterans can agree that we have so much to teach them and can’t wait to see their knowledgable selfs by the end of this year.
Rabab KarimjeeClass of 2017
Thoughts on the New Year
Last year, our team had 20-25 student, out of which only 6 were returning veterans. This year, we have 20 veterans (which is over 3 times as much as last year!) and about 20 rookies as well. To be completely honest, I was, and still am, nervous about having such a huge team since we’ve never really had 30+ students (forget 40+) on the team before. At the same time, I’m a little excited to see how much we can improve our team and how we’ll expand this upcoming year. Having triple the amount of veterans from last year, this year’s Build Season and everything before and after that will be a lot smoother. With a lot more Jankster experience, I, personally, feel we’ll be able to expand our opportunities and ideas to include things that weren’t possible last year–like putting googly eyes on our robot!!
Yashna BansalClass of 2017
I am extremely excited to start this new year with so many new students! Since we have many grade levels on our leadership team, it’s awesome to see different perspectives and hear different ideas. Compared to the smallish team we had last year, this is VERY new for us, and I have a feeling that there are many good things to come. In addition, the whole last year, we rookies were the ones being taught, and now we’re going to be the teachers. As frightening as that is, I think all the veterans can agree that we have so much to teach them and can’t wait to see their knowledgable selfs by the end of this year.
Rabab KarimjeeClass of 2017